Find me first
by annie rules
Summary: Ethan messed up the moment he fell for Danny. Aiden decides to separate them to stay true to the pack while Deucalion decides that Ethan must pay the price for insubordination. And Danny, he's just collateral damage. contains mild torture. R&R This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic guys, so plz be kind! :D
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"I was your mark?" Danny thundered, his face a picture of anger and betrayal. His eyes fixed on the boy he had made the mistake of falling in love with.

"Yup", Aiden quipped, almost triumphantly, casually leaning against the wall, "no point denying it, Ethan."

"Please, just hear me out Danny", Ethan pleaded, his heart breaking into a million pieces as he watched his boyfriend look at him with disgust. In spite of himself, Ethan felt tears roll down his cheek.

"You were my mark Danny, but you changed me! You made me a better person, more than I could ever hope to be! And I didn't lie for a second when I said I loved you. Please Danny, you have to believe me! I love you!" Ethan heard his voice tremble.

Danny was livid; his face red with anger, betrayal and anguish.

"I trusted you! I loved you! Hell, I even slept with you..." Danny broke down completely. He sank to his knees, doubled over, holding his head in his hands. Ethan rushed forward and attempted to put his arms around Danny, but Danny shoved him away with all the strength he could muster.

"Get away from me you werewolf! I hate you! You disgust me, you sick creature and I never want to see your face again!" Danny yelled between heartbroken sobs. Ethan looked as if someone had just gutted him with a machete. He just froze on the floor beside Danny. The pain was evident on his face. He could feel his heart constricting painfully in his chest.

Aiden felt a sudden pain, a physical pain shoot through his chest. He was feeling a small fraction of Ethan's pain because of their connection. For the first time since he made this mess, Aiden felt sorry for Ethan, but only slightly. He walked over to his twin and put a soothing hand on his back. When Ethan didn't respond to the touch, Aiden pulled him up on his feet.

"Danny, please..." a small, final whimper escaped Ethan's lips.

"It's over, Ethan." Aiden said in a soothing voice as he wrapped his arms around his twin and gently steered him away. Ethan's body trembled and he didn't even fight Aiden as they, or rather, as Aiden made him walk away. Danny was still hunched up on the floor and he didn't look up even once.

On the way to the pack's warehouse, Ethan remained in a stony silence. Aiden had driven them in a car because he knew his brother was in no condition to handle a bike. Aiden knew Ethan was hurting, bad, and he also knew that what he had done was for the best so he wasn't going to make any apologies. But that didn't mean he liked seeing his brother so... sad and, well, heartbroken.

Deucalion strode over to them the moment they entered. Before either of them could realise what was happening, Deucalion's powerful punch had sent Ethan flying across the room.

"Traitor!" he yelled. "You completely ruined my plan... My Plan! How dare you!" He was standing over the struggling Ethan in a second. He rained down a couple of blows, drawing blood from Ethan's face. "What did you think, I'd never find out?"

Ethan spit out blood from his mouth and breathing heavily looked up towards Aiden for some support. But Aiden just stood there nonchalantly as if to say, "don't say I didn't warn you bro."

Deucalion roughly grabbed Ethan by his hair and made him stand up. "Now, you'll pay," he said menacingly, "you will have to prove your allegiance to the pack and to me or you'll pay for it dearly."

Ethan quietly looked at Deucalion, "I'm already paying for it", he said sadly.

Deucalion barked out a small laugh, "My boy, it hasn't even begun yet. Bring him!"

Two werewolves from their pack entered, holding between them a struggling captive. When Ethan saw the boy, his blood froze.

"Danny!" he cried out, trying to go towards him but Deucalion firmly held him by his throat, effectively choking him. Ethan struggled furiously at the sight of the other boy, forgetting his own increasing lack of oxygen and pain. He only stopped struggling when his vision began to blur and the pack leader roughly threw him back on the ground. He took a few deep breaths and his eyes landed on Aiden. By the looks of it, even Aiden didn't know Deucalion's plan. Ethan's heart sank. He heard the two werewolves toss Danny down on the ground next to him like he was some rag doll and leave. But they didn't go far, they just went and stopped behind a glass wall and settled in as if watching a movie. Deucalion ordered Aiden to do the same and after some consideration, Aiden followed them.

Ethan turned his attention to Danny. He could see the right side of Danny's face swelling up, like he had taken a bad hit to his cheek bones. There were claw marks on his arms and one of them was slowly trickling blood. But they were slight flesh wounds which would heal in a day or two. Ethan sincerely hoped that whatever Deucalion had in store for them, he would be the one to bear the brunt of it and not Danny. He had already hurt Danny enough and couldn't bear to watch him suffer more. When Danny finally turned to look at him, Ethan noted the pure terror in his eyes. Instinctively he put his hand on Danny's shoulder trying to reassure him but Danny jerked it away.

"Trouble in paradise?" Deucalion's voice reached them. Ethan felt Danny tense beside him, his heartbeat going through the roof. Ethan himself found his body tensing protectively as he slowly got up on his feet. "What do you want Deucalion?"

"I want to give you a fitting punishment."

"But Danny and I broke up. He hates me. Isn't that punishment enough for me?"

"Not even near. I need to see that you will follow my orders, always. I want you to kill your mark, Ethan. I want you to kill Danny, right here, in front of me."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"No, I won't", Ethan growled, putting himself between Deucalion's murderous yet unseeing gaze and Danny.

"Oh surprise surprise!" he scorned, clapping his hands. The two werewolves suddenly appeared beside him. Ethan looked towards his twin and realized that his brother was trapped in that glass room, and for whatever reason, he couldn't break out. He could see worry lining Aiden's face. Ethan swallowed dryly but held his stance.

"Last chance, kill him Ethan."

"NO!" Ethan made a dash for Deucalion and tackled him down. But in a fraction of a second the two wolves flanked him, having overpowered him easily. Ethan struggled, desperate to free himself but he knew that it was no use, and for some reason Ethan was not being able to transform. The two wolves even in their human form were stout and extremely strong. They were alphas, no doubt, but they also had more blood on their hands than the alpha twins and hence were much stronger. One of them swiftly tied Ethan's hands together with metal chains that suspended from a pole overhead. The other one opened a bottle of wolfsbane and poured it over Ethan's bare chest. Ethan screamed in pain as angry red welts began to form on his body. This pained yell made Danny stir and finally break out of his terror induced silence. Despite still reeling from Ethan's betrayal, Danny couldn't bring himself to enjoy or even remain unaffected by the scene before him. One look at Ethan's expression made him suddenly find his voice.

"Hey, just kill me. You'd be doing me a favor anyway", Danny said spitefully, turning to look at Ethan. Deucalion quickly caught hold of Danny and put his hands on his neck and picked him off the ground.

"Shall I snap it? It'll be relatively painless", he sneered.

"No! No! Leave him alone! Do whatever you want with me but please leave him alone" Ethan yelled kicking at his leader. It didn't do any good though he received a crushing blow to his ribs.

"Give me one good reason for not killing him right now" Deucalion said, tightening his grip on Danny. Ethan saw that Danny's lips were already starting to turn blue. He felt panic well up inside him. Deucalion proceeded to lift Danny's shirt with his free hand and savagely claw at his stomach, making deep gashes. Danny's scream pierced the air. He screamed in pain, withering in Deucalion's unrelenting grip.

"Stop! Stop! Wait! He knows a cure for your eyes!" Ethan yelled desperate to stop Danny's tormentor.

Deucalion froze, as did the two minions, Aiden, and Danny. Deucalion dropped Danny unceremoniously on the floor and grabbed Ethan's face instead. The shock was evident in Aiden's eyes as he watched from far. Danny continued to whimper on the floor but tried to control himself as he realized that Ethan had essentially just signed on his death warrant to save Danny's life.

"What did you say?" Deucalion asked Ethan, his voice dangerously low.

"He knows a cure for your eyes, so if you kill him, you'll never be able to get to that. But he'll tell you only if I tell him how to identify it first. And I'll never guide him to that answer." Ethan spoke up with vengeance, and secretly hoped that his trick had worked.

Danny didn't know much but when Aiden had told him the truth that very morning, he had traced out in details the cruelty of Deucalion and his means. He also knew that now Deucalion would use all his strength to get Ethan to divulge that information. Danny was also well aware of the fact the Ethan was lying through his teeth.

"Tell me about the cure", Deucalion ordered, but Ethan just spit out blood in his direction. One of the werewolves backhanded him hard and sent his head spinning. Deucalion turned to that minion and smirked, "Bring out the tools. You got work."

Ethan swallowed; his peripheral vision caught the worried look on Danny's face. He turned his face slightly and mouthed "I'm sorry" to Danny, just thankful that he could at least see the two people he loved to bits, Aiden and Danny, before he died.

Aiden could only watch as lashes rained on his brother. The two werewolves were whipping Ethan mercilessly. With each lash, more skin and flesh tore away from Ethan's torso. His chest was raw from the wolfsbane and when the lashes hit, Ethan gave out guttural yells which made Aiden's blood boil. Ethan's back was nothing more than a bloody slab of meat. His face had swollen from all the blows that he had taken. The whipping wounds didn't seem to be healing and Ethan appeared to have internal injuries as well, because he was starting to cough up blood.

Aiden felt his eyes moisten. He had been yelling for them to stop but the glass blocked him out completely. Aiden could only watch in complete horror as one of the two pack members laid down the whip, put on a pair of gloves and began to rub a mixture of mistletoe and wolfsbane into Ethan's bleeding wounds.

Ethan's screams were spine chilling and heartbreaking. The pain flashed on Ethan's face, not just pain but pure agony and torture. His voice was already hoarse from crying out and yelling, and now it broke completely. After making sure that the deadly poison was spread thickly over all of Ethan's body, the werewolves took out his restraint, letting him fall on to the ground in an agonized heap. Behind the glass wall, Aiden's knees buckled as he felt his twin's pain reflected inside his body. The sheer white hot agony seemed to tear him apart, and he was only feeling a small fraction of it. As he lay on his side, his arms wrapped around his middle, trying to counter the pain, Aiden watched as his brother's body began to convulse on the ground. Tears slid down his face as he muttered "I'm so sorry, Ethan" over and over again.

TBC.

AN: Thank you for the lovely review and the encouragement.. I sincerely hope you all like this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Stop it! You'll kill him!" Danny cried out, pleading with the wolves, but one of them shoved him so roughly that he toppled over and hit his head. The deep wound on his stomach was sending waves of pain all over his body. His vision grew fuzzy because of his head. He could just sit on the ground, his arm draped around his middle, failing to staunch the heavy blood flow, as they whipped Ethan. Ethan's pained expression, his agonised yells, the occasional blood splatter from the whip, and Danny had to bear it all. He couldn't do anything. This is worse than death, he felt and sincerely hoped that he wouldn't survive the stomach injury. Danny couldn't imagine living with these images burned into his memory forever; and without Ethan.

When finally one of them stopped, Danny felt a wave of relief spread over him but a second later realised something worse awaited Ethan. One of the wolves began to rub some sort of mixture onto Ethan's body – he identified mistletoe as the thing he himself had been poisoned with – and saw how Ethan completely gave away. When they let him off the chains, Ethan dropped on to the floor and his broken and bleeding body began convulsing. Ignoring his own wounds, Danny somehow crawled over to Ethan and pulled him into an awkward embrace. He wrapped him arms around Ethan's writhing body and held on tight, hoping and almost willing Ethan to fight back and survive this assault. With tears in his eyes, he looked towards Aiden. He seemed to be in pain, but his eyes were fixated on his brother. He seemed absolutely helpless as well. The last shred of hope that Aiden would magically save Ethan's life ended in that moment. Aiden himself was trapped, in no position to save anybody. Danny held on to Ethan, his head rested on Danny's shoulder, Danny t-shirt saturated in Ethan's blood. Danny put his face against Ethan's and began to cry. The last words that he had told his boyfriend were spiteful and intentionally extremely hurtful. Ethan had deserved them anyway. But now, Ethan would be gone, dead in a few minutes, lying in Danny's arms but unknown to the fact that Danny loved him in spite of his betrayal. Ethan would never know that Danny had realised that Ethan loved him. Hell, even Danny didn't know that until that very moment, but by then it was too late for both of them.

Ethan stopped convulsing and became dangerously still. Danny nervously nudged him but Ethan didn't move, or open his eyes, he didn't give any indication that he was alive at all. A blinding pain tore through Danny which had nothing to do with his wounds. He buried his face in Ethan's and began to cry his heart out for the boy he loved, and the boy who died in his arms.

Aiden felt his heart freeze, literally. Like all the heat suddenly left his body and someone had dunked him in ice cold water. The pain dimmed but he still couldn't get up. His mind was paralysed. He was screaming for his brother to hold on but his voice refused to comply. It was like a silent movie, a tragedy, that he was forced to be a part of. He watched as Danny held on to Ethan's still body for a long time, or so it seemed. Then something, a movement caught his attention. His mind, which was behaving like a non-responsive tab suddenly registered two new people... no three... three people. Aiden watched as two of them disappeared around the back of the warehouse, picking up the scent and chasing after the two wolves, one of them came directly towards him.

"Scott!"

Scott gave Aiden a slight nod and revealed an iron rod that he was carrying. Understanding what was to follow; Aiden swiftly picked himself off the ground and moved away from the glass wall. Scott took aim and repeatedly hit the wall, slowly but surely creating cracks in it, before finally bringing it down. Aiden jumped out in a fraction of a second and ran over to where Danny was huddled over Ethan.

Danny seemed confused and partly even oblivious to the action around him. Aiden knelt down beside them and put his hand on Ethan's head as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"They're gone... what the hell happened here?!"

Aiden turned to see Isaac and Derek standing behind him; Derek looked worried and Isaac was agape. Scott silently shrugged, his expression pained, as if he didn't want to spell out the words. Derek's face darkened.

"No, No... werewolves are not that easy to kill..." he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. Coming forward, he carefully felt for a pulse. Isaac, who noticed that Danny was almost faint from all the blood loss, knelt down beside him, supporting his weight.

"We need to get him to the vet", Derek spoke up, the sense of urgency back in his voice. Scott stared at Derek for a second and then flew into action. "Aiden, get Ethan," Scott called, already half way to the door, "I'll bring the jeep around."

Aiden, who was already in the process of mourning his brother, felt as if his head would explode. Ethan was alive! His brother was not beyond saving! He looked at Ethan's face. Blood was splattered across his features, but he noticed sweat glistening on his forehead. Aiden was so grief-stricken that these obvious indications of life, albeit slowly ebbing away, didn't register until now.

Without wasting a second, he pulled Ethan away from Danny in one fluid motion and took off after Scott. Danny's arms fell away like a rag doll's and he eased onto Isaac, unconscious. By the time Isaac picked Danny up, Aiden was already out the door with a dying Ethan in his arms. Isaac looked at Derek. "We go to the hospital, then." They briskly headed out of the warehouse, carefully carrying Danny with them.

TBC

AN: I love Ethan too much to kill him... :D dont worry!  
thanks so much for the reviews and the follows. This chapter is slightly hurried but I promise I'll post the next chapter soon! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Deaton..! " Scott called urgently, as he parked his jeep outside the clinic. He got out and held the door open for Aiden. All through the journey, Aiden had been quietly whispering to Ethan, pleading with him to hold on. As Aiden bundled Ethan out of the car, Scott realised that holding on would be much harder than he had thought earlier on. He ran his eyes over Ethan, taking in the extent of the injuries which made him flinch inside. Ethan's head rested on Aiden's shoulder, creating a dark patch of blood where his lips were on the shirt. "He's coughing up blood", Scott thought. Ethan's eyes were closed but the right side of his face was swollen. His body was a mess, really. Scott didn't even begin to examine the wounds, the long deep cuts that seemed to be slowly oozing out his life force. Aiden caught Scott's eye and that unsettled the latter a bit. He wasn't prepared for the look the twin gave him. The look of utter defeat and anguish was something that Scott had never seen on Aiden's face.

"Scott?" Deaton called as he opened the clinic door. His voice interrupted Scott's silent inventory and he wheeled around to face the doctor.

"It's Ethan, doc" Scott said, rushing forward and beckoning Aiden to follow him, "he's bad."

As Aiden came in and laid his brother down on the table, the doctor all but forced himself to keep calm. "_Bad_ is a gross understatement" he thought but his didn't voice his thoughts out aloud. The two wolves were worried enough as it is. Deaton quickly examined the wounds and went about getting supplies and calling out orders for the two boys before finally turning to Ethan.

Deaton carefully washed the wounds to rid them of the poison. In order to do that he had probe the gashes at times, which made Ethan twitch in pain. When Aiden freaked at this, he convinced him that the movement was good; "it means Ethan is still responsive" he explained, even as Aiden held his brother's hand in a death grip. As a result when Ethan fell silent altogether, the doctor had little comfort to offer Aiden. Scott ran all over the clinic bringing the doctor that he asked for.

An hour later, the activity died down a bit. Deaton had managed to clean Ethan's wound and stitch them nicely. He had bandaged them with Aiden's help. Ethan's weak form rested on the bed, while Aiden planted himself on Ethan's left side, determined to watch over his brother till he was alright. Scott stood at the door, watching over the twins when Deaton walked in with a jug of water. He placed it at the bed side table. He gave Aiden an encouraging nod before joining Scott at the door.

"I didn't know you brought in a bed" Scott said, giving Deaton a half smile.

"Since you guys started turning up so often, I decided I'd make my clinic slightly more hospitable" Deaton replied, smiling back.

"Is he going to be okay?" Deaton's smile faded a little as Scott gazed up to his face expectantly.

"I hope so."

"Doc, be honest with me."

Deaton exhaled loudly and looked Scott in the eye.

"I don't know Scott. I did everything I could, I took care of his internal bleeding, and his whipping wounds... but he won't get better unless he starts healing by himself."

"These wounds were made by two alphas, it'll take time... "

"Yes, but he doesn't seem to be making any progress at all... he should have at least started healing but he hasn't yet."

"Deaton, remember when I thought that Derek was dead because of me and I couldn't heal?"

Deaton nodded quietly, not sure where this was going.

"Well, Ethan and Danny ran into troubled waters. Danny found out about Ethan and from what I gather, things have become complicated. Though the way I found them, Danny does seem to care for him, no matter what happened."

Deaton nodded, understandingly. "They both will be fine Scott. Just hang in there." He patted Scott's shoulder lightly and turned to leave.

Scott turned his attention back to the twins in front of him. "I hope so too", he whispered.

Aiden placed his head between Ethan's face and shoulder and closed his eyes. He hands still wrapped around his brother's. He was exhausted, so he closed his eyes when Scott and Deaton's hushed conversation reached his ears. Aiden made no indication that he heard anything but as he listened, a lone tear escaped from the corner of his eye and slid down his cheek.

AN: i hope you liked it... R&R and be kind! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Danny?"

Five fingers waved in front of his eyes. When the hand retracted, Danny saw a very hazy version of Isaac bending over his head. Isaac was staring intently at him, as if waiting for some order... or a reaction, maybe.

Danny looked around slowly. His brain registered the white washed walls, the distinct smell of disinfectant and finally, the worried look on Isaac's face.

"Danny?" Isaac called again, looking relieved to see Danny staring back.

"How are you feeling?" Isaac asked, smiling.

"Sore", Danny replied in a raspy voice. Taking a cue, Isaac held a cup of water at his lips. Danny drank, thankful for his friend's attention.

Several minutes passed as they both remained silent. Isaac didn't know what to say, he didn't know what Danny's mind was ready for yet, or how much he knew so he carefully watched Danny for any indication or question. Danny on the other hand, didn't know where to start.

"You got 57 stitches in your stomach. You'll be sore for a while but otherwise, you'll be fine" Isaac said, finally breaking the silence.

Danny nodded with a half smile. "Guess I'm lucky, huh?"

Isaac smirked. "Hardly. A lucky person wouldn't get caught in the crossfire." Danny gazed silently at Isaac for minute before speaking again.

"How do you expect me to take this? How do I be okay with the fact that my friends aren't humans?" His expression was a cross between disgust and pain causing Isaac to feel sorry for him.

"Danny, we are your friends, and we'd never hurt you. We were just protecting you. Trust me; you don't want to be a part of this deal as long as you can avoid it."

"I'm already a part it! You are my friend! And Ethan was..." Danny stopped abruptly, unsure of what to say next.

Isaac noticed this. He came forward and put his hand on Danny's shoulder, glad when Danny didn't jerk it away.

"I'm not Ethan's biggest fan, but he does seem to care about you."

"He does" Danny whispered, as his mind brought up the images of their last unfortunate meeting, "is he alive?"

"He is. Scott and Aiden took him to Dr Deaton's. Scott said he'd call when Ethan woke up, but I'm still waiting to hear from him."

Danny reached for his shoulder and put his hand on top of Isaac's.

"How long was I out?"

Isaac looked down at the floor. "Three days."

Danny persisted, even though he could feel a slow dread rising in his heart.

"Shouldn't a werewolf be healed by then?" he asked, tilting his head to catch Isaac's gaze.

"Yeah" Isaac exhaled loudly, "what can I say Danny? Ethan's in bad shape, mate."

"Isaac, I need to see him", Danny stated, peering into Isaac's face intently. Isaac tried to avoid the prying gaze but eventually gave in. "okay, I'll go get Mrs McCall. Stay put alright? I'll what I can do." With that Isaac turned around to leave. He was almost at the door when Danny called out his name.

"Ethan's going to be alright, isn't he?"

Isaac screwed up all his courage and looked Danny in the eye.

"I sure hope so."

_One hour later_

"Are you sure about this Danny?" Melissa asked, her voice laced with concern even as she flicked through his reports with professional precision.

Danny, who was half reclining on his hospital bed, nodded with determination. "Yes, Mrs McCall. I need to do this."

Melissa looked up from her papers and smiled.

"Call me Melissa." Seeing Danny relax a bit, Melissa continued with a light smile.

"You know, Danny, we have to stop meeting like this. It's the second time you've ended up in my ER in a few weeks."

Danny only managed a tiny smile, that too half-hearted. Melissa could tell that Danny wanted and needed to talk about the whole thing but he just didn't know where to start. She softly patted Danny's head and smiled at him with a motherly affection, causing Danny to look into her eyes.

"You can talk to me Danny. I went through this too; with my son, of all people!"

Danny looked around the empty room before looking back at her.

"How did you handle it?"

"Oh, not very well at first, I must say. But Scott's my son. And he _is_ still Scott."

"Ever since I found out, every time Ethan touched me, it made me squirm. It's like I'm dreading that the claws will come out any second. I can't bear thinking about him like that!" Danny said, looking genuinely upset.

"From what Isaac told me, you were holding Ethan when they found you."

"Yes" Danny volunteered, "but that's because I thought he was dead." He looked ashamed of himself.

Melissa looked at the boy in front of her and sighed deeply. She knew this feeling of complete and utter confusion and desperation. She felt bad for him. She gathered up her reports and stood up straight.

"Danny, talk to him. You and Ethan care about each. Don't let this get in between something real. And please don't wait for him to actually die before you accept the truth. Just, give it a thought, okay?" with that Melissa gave him a smile and turned around and left.

Danny stared after her. He went over her words and felt an involuntary shudder run through his back when he brought up her words about Ethan's death. No, he didn't want Ethan to die. He didn't want Ethan to leave either. He just wanted Ethan to not be a werewolf, but that was not going to happen. Danny curled up gingerly in his bed took his head in both hands. He wanted to scream in frustration. Suddenly he remembered something from the fateful night. When he was watching the wolves torture Ethan, he had prayed that he would not live if Ethan died. He remembered vividly the way Ethan defiantly took on Deucalion. Remembered the way his face scrunched up every time the whip lashed his broken and bleeding body, the pained screams that accompanied the whiplash. And finally, the expression of defeat and acceptance on Ethan's face when he mouthed "Sorry" to Danny. This last detail unsettled Danny. Ethan had apologized. For what? For hurting Danny, for getting him in that mess with Deucalion, or for betraying his trust? All three? Danny found himself going over that memory over and over again. Then he decided that it didn't matter. Ethan had apologized, and he had meant every word and that all that mattered. Danny felt hot tears sting his eyes before rolling down his cheeks when he remembered the convulsing body in his arms, the blood pouring from Ethan's mouth and his wounds. Melissa was right. He couldn't wait for Ethan to actually drop dead. Danny wiped away his tears.

Even though Isaac was not in the room, Danny knew he was listening. He cleared his throat and called out, "Isaac, I'm ready. Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Danny sat fidgeting in his seat as Isaac pushed the wheelchair into Deaton's clinic. The wheelchair was given so that Danny's still raw stitches would be safe from any tension. Danny had initially resisted Melissa's suggestion but had given in when Isaac yelled, "Danny, I swear, I'll go all werewolf on your ass if you don't agree!"

Isaac came to a stop in front of the room. Danny looked to see Ethan lying on a bed, absolutely still. Aiden was asleep in his uncomfortable seat beside the bed, his head placed over Ethan's shoulder, one arm draped protectively over his brother. Scott was standing at the door. As they entered, he came forward, gave Danny an encouraging smile and gave Isaac the slightest nod possible, beckoning him to come away. Isaac nodded, patted Danny on the shoulder and followed Scott.

Danny's mind started whirring. Scott's calculated behaviour hinted that he was worried. That couldn't be good. He slowly glided into the room and came to a stop beside the bed. Aiden chose that moment to wake up and look around. Danny froze; he didn't know what to do. But Aiden looked at him casually, even gave him a small nod, making Danny wonder if he was hallucinating. With all his fears out of the way Danny now focussed on Ethan. From the door, Ethan had looked still. From up front, he looked dead. The swelling in his face seemed to have gone down. His body was covered in bandages, his chest rose and fell very lightly indicating shallow breathing. An oxygen mask covered half his face but his eyes caught Danny's attention. Danny had always been fond of Ethan's eyes, the playfulness, the humour; the sparkling energy that he saw in them made him love Ethan. They always gave his words a meaning deeper than just the word itself. He also remembered the tears in them he shouted that it was over, that Ethan was despicable. Now, as Ethan lay in front of him, a skeletal shadow of his former boisterous self, those eyes were shut and absolutely still. They were never so still, even when he slept. The thought made Danny swallow a lump in his throat.

Suddenly Aiden got up and removed the mask from his brother's face, putting his hands on Ethan's head. A smile of relief and happiness spread over Aiden face.

"Ethan? Hey bro, Ethan?"

Danny felt a relieved smile come upon his own. Ethan was stirring. He was awake! Danny felt a load off his chest.

Ethan slowly parted his eyes and looked at Aiden.

"Hey", he rasped. His voice was tinged in pain.

Aiden gave him some water. He seemed almost rapt with happiness.

"How are you feeling?"

Ethan blinked a couple of times, before one corner of his lip curled slightly, "like Deucalion mopped the floor with me."

Aiden let out a relieved laugh, looking at Ethan fondly. He slowly patted his head and added, "I'm glad you are awake. I'm so sorry, man."

"It's okay, Aiden. Let's just be glad for now." Aiden smiled, and then pointedly looked at Danny.

Danny, who had been observing the whole exchange in a grateful silence, sat up straight. Aiden picked up the jug from the bed side table and started walking towards the door. "I'll get some more water," he announced as he walked away.

When Danny turned his attention back to Ethan, he felt a slight ache in his heart to register the surprise on Ethan's face. It was as if Ethan didn't expect him to turn up. Danny ignored the pang of guilt and managed a small smile.

"Hey."

"Hey" Ethan replied, still looking confused.

"How are you feeling? Are you healing?" Danny asked, carefully.

Ethan looked over the various bandages; the slight movement caused him obvious pain and resulted in eliciting a groan from him. He turned to Danny.

"I'm okay. Not healing very well though, it seems."

"Everyone is worried about that, you know."

"Oh?" Ethan whispered, examining Danny's face closely. Danny exhaled and looked Ethan squarely in the eye.

"I'm sorry I said I hate you."

"You had good reason. I would hate me too."

Danny took a deep breath and continued. "The point is, you saved my life. And I realize now that you didn't have to. So this would mean that you do genuinely care about me. Right?"

Ethan nodded, not sure where Danny was taking this.

"Well," Danny went on, "I have decided, that, I care about you too."

Ethan's face broke into a smile but vanished the next second.

"Look Danny, I'm so happy to hear you say that. But... I am and, unfortunately, will always be a werewolf. And I can't keep putting you in harm's way." Danny felt his heart flip; he hadn't expected this reaction.

"You won't, Ethan. At least as long as you stay clear of Deucalion and his likes," Danny smiled at his own attempt. He was glad to see that Ethan smiled too.

"Ethan, Scott and Isaac are good people. So is Derek, I hear. Your brother is a douchebag, but then, so are you. I think this pack might work." Danny said, nonchalantly.

Ethan gave a big smile this time. Danny felt his heart flutter. He took Ethan's hand in his and kissed it.

"I want to make this work, Ethan. I had to come very close to losing you to realise that I wanted to be with you. I want us to work. But can I trust you?"

Ethan gave Danny hand a squeeze. "Yes Danny! I promise! No secrets from now on. I'll tell you everything you want to know and never let you down" he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

Danny noticed that the pain in his voice had lost the edge. Was it just the happiness or was Ethan healing, he thought. Either way it made him bend over and plant a kiss on Ethan's lips.

Ethan smirked, "you know Aiden's probably listening in, right?"

Danny nodded, "Isaac too, if I'm not wrong" he added, laughing.

Outside the room, Isaac and Aiden looked at each other with a sly smile. Of course, they were eavesdropping. Scott gave a broad grin. He was in on this too, but Ethan and Danny didn't have to know. The three wolves quietly enjoyed this quiet moment of relief and mischief, glad that things had finally worked out in their favor. At least, for now.

** the end**

what do you think people?! :D should I write more stories?


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